FEMA to Discuss National EAS Test in Webinar

November 21, 2011

WASHINGTON: The staff at FEMA plans to hold a webinar on Nov. 29 to discuss the national EAS test and its aftermath. Up for discussion will be test findings, field observations and lessons learned, as well as mitigation strategies and next steps for improving EAS.

While most radio and television stations received and relayed the test message, many technical issues such as audio quality and repeated messages were observed and immediately reported, according to FEMA, which adds that initial monitoring reports indicate about 80% of radio and television stations received and nominally relayed the test message.

FEMA IPAWS Program Manager Manny Centeno and his team have been in the lab since the test, trying to replicate what occurred on Nov. 9. “Once we’ve conducted exhaustive lab tests for how the technical malfunction occurred, test other observed technical challenges, and identify possible solutions, we want to continue the dialogue and openly share our findings with industry and ask participants for their ideas during the webinar,” he stated.

Centeno is encouraged the industry is identifying technical challenges quickly and providing thoughts and feedback on EAS. FEMA is “committed to solving these technical challenges in a controlled testing environment to ensure they do not happen again,” he said.